Emphasis should be given to substantially step up private and public investment in higher education and optimally utilize the resources to improve the quality of education, said Pallam Raju, Union Minister for Human Resource Development at the All India conference of higher education ministers. The minister also said that the state investment on higher education should be increased from 18%to 25% of the budget on education.
Talking about the new initiative Rashtriya Ucchatar Siksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the minister said that under the scheme greater autonomy would be provided to the state and central universities and colleges for equity based development and improvement in teaching and research. About 300 universities and 8,500 colleges would be covered under the scheme with 90% of funding from the central government to some of the needy states like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, North east states and Uttarakhand and 65% to other states and Union territories.
Addressing the conference, R.V.Deshpande, Minister of Higher education of Karnataka said that the states should formulate the perspective plan to qualify for the RUSA funding scheme which is an opportunity to set up more universities. He further added, RUSA fund should be used for introducing innovative projects in higher education.
